Latest news with #prisoner
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Convicted N.S. killer out after seven years in jail
A man who served seven years in jail for a killing in Nova Scotia is now free.
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Minnesota murder victim's family retraumatized during parole process
Granting parole to a prisoner is a big decision that makes a big impact. Over the past year in Minnesota, the responsibility was turned over to citizens as part of new legislation. It used to be up to the commissioner of the Department of Corrections. So far, the Supervised Release Board has paroled a higher percentage of prisoners than any commissioner in the past 30 years. Current Commissioner Paul Schnell has reviewed the most cases, paroling nearly 17% of them. But one family says those statistics don't tell the whole story. The family of Mary Ann Hagford sits around a picnic table sharing memories of their sister and aunt as they wait for the parole hearing for her killer to start. "That's all we all we got, these pictures, these memories. She was young, 28, was just starting her life," brother Bob Hagford said. The grief wells up in their chests, the loss still present. "Boy, I'm gonna have a hard time with this, but yeah, Mary Ann was the youngest one in the bunch," Bob Hagford said. It was just before Christmas 1993. Mary Ann Hagford's live-in boyfriend, Paul Wilson, shot her in the head, killing her. They'd been drinking and had an argument in their Crystal, Minnesota, home over a Christmas tree. "There's not a lot of words, other than you're never going to see her," Bob Hagford said. A jury found Wilson guilty of first-degree premeditated murder. The judge sentenced him to life, with the possibility of parole after 30 years. They say Mary Ann Hagford's murder tore their family apart. "I was 14 when it happened. Nobody was around after this happened. Everyone was divided," nephew Michael Hagford said. The siblings found their way back to each other and are united in their desire for Wilson to stay in prison. For them, his apology letter came too late. "You'd figure there'd be remorse, days after, weeks after, you know, once you sober up. And we didn't get that for 20 years," Michael Hagford said. The family says they weren't notified ahead of Wilson's first hearing, but were present last year when the commissioner signed off on Wilson moving to a work release program. The family opposed it. "You come to these and you think, makes a difference. You come here and stay stuff, and it's going to mean something," brother Wayne Hagford said. On this day, the Hagfords listened as the Supervised Release Board questioned Wilson about why he should be free. "I believe I have grown, especially over this last year, to a person who can be a contributing member of what will be a new community," Wilson said. His wife, whom he married soon after the trial, was by his side. "I have done a lot of work to address emotions, to be able to be in emotions, not make them bigger than what they are sometimes and to have a choice," Wilson said. A member of the board questioned the prior decision made about Wilson. "Some of the things really concern me. And going back in time, I would not have voted for work release. And at this point, what are our options?" Jo Earhart said. After some discussion and reservations, the board voted to parole Wilson. "You can't put this genie back in the bottle, and the losses are insurmountable. And yet we want you to be successful. And we expect you to live a good life going forward," Schnell said. "My feeling is, is that justice wasn't served. He should be in there for a long time yet, but he's going to be free now. He's got the rest of his life and Mary Ann's got nothing," Bob Hagford said. Wilson is scheduled to be released in late August. The Department of Corrections told WCCO victims must sign up for the notification system to be alerted about updates and hearings. Click here to learn more.
France 24
4 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
France court orders release of Lebanese militant after four decades in prison
Abdallah, 74, is one of the longest serving prisoners in France, where most convicts serving life sentences are freed after less than 30 years. He has been up for release for 25 years, but the United States -- a civil party to the case -- has consistently opposed him leaving prison. Abdallah was detained in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for his involvement in the murders of US military attache Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in Paris. The Lebanese of Maronite Christian heritage has always insisted he is a "fighter" who battled for the rights of Palestinians and not a "criminal". The Paris Appeals Court ordered he be freed from a prison in the south of France next week, on Friday, July 25, on the condition that he leave French territory and never return. It said the length of his detention had been "disproportionate" and that he no longer represented a danger to the public. Several sources before the hearing said that it was planned for him to be flown to Paris and then to Beirut. Prosecutors can file an appeal with France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, but any such request is not expected to be processed fast enough to halt his release next week. 'Delighted' The detainee's brother, Robert Abdallah, in Lebanon told AFP he was overjoyed. "We're delighted. I didn't expect the French judiciary to make such a decision nor for him to ever be freed, especially after so many failed requests for release," he said. "For once, the French authorities have freed themselves from Israeli and US pressure," he added. Lebanese authorities have repeatedly said Abdallah should be freed from jail, and had written to the appeals court to say they would organise his return home. Abdallah's lawyer Jean-Louis Chalanset also welcomed the decision, calling it a "political scandal he was not released earlier". In November last year, a French court ordered him to be let go conditional on Abdallah leaving France. But France's anti-terror prosecutors, arguing that he had not changed his political views, appealed the decision, which was suspended. A verdict was supposed to have been delivered in February, but the Paris appeals court postponed, saying it was unclear whether Abdallah had proof that he had paid compensation to the plaintiffs, something he has consistently refused to do. 'Past symbol' The court re-examined the latest request for his release last month. During the closed-door hearing, Abdallah's lawyer told the judges that 16,000 euros had been placed in the prisoner's bank account and were at the disposal of civil parties in the case, including the United States, according to several sources who attended. Abdallah, who hails from the north of Lebanon, was wounded as a teenager when Israel invaded the south of the country in 1978 in the early years of the Lebanese Civil War. As an adult, he founded the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions -- LARF, a Marxist pro-Syria and anti-Israel group that has now been dissolved. After his arrest in 1984, French police discovered submachine guns and transceiver stations in one of his Paris apartments. The appeals court in February however noted that the FARL "had not committed a violent action since 1984" and that Abdallah "today represented a past symbol of the Palestinian struggle". Lebanon hosts tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to the United Nations, most descendants of those who fled or were expelled from their land during the creation of Israel in 1948.
France 24
6 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Gaza truce still out of reach after Doha talks as deadly strikes continue
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France 24
6 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
French PM Bayrou stakes political survival on budget squeeze
01:46 15/07/2025 French prisoner who escaped in inmate's bag recaptured 15/07/2025 In Iraq, drought threatens water supply and ancient heritage 15/07/2025 Syria declares ceasefire after deadly clashes in Sweida 15/07/2025 Mexico: Femicide filmed by a surveillance camera Americas 15/07/2025 Ukraine skeptical as US sets 50-Day deadline for Russian ceasefire 15/07/2025 Extreme runners conquer North Pole Summer Marathon 15/07/2025 Sudan conflict intensifies in North Kordofan and Darfur 15/07/2025 Cameroon's President seeks an eighth term at the age of 92 15/07/2025 Former Nigerian President dies at 82
